Inter-Office Agent Olympics
by canaussie
Summary: The top two NCIS teams in the country face off for the first annual Agent Olympics. From sharp shooting and knife throwing to undercover gender bending and evasive driving, the teams from DC and LA are going to do everything they can to prove they are the best. Set 1-2 years after Legend. Feedback and suggestions welcome.
1. Chapter 1

_Author Note - welcome to something light and fun. I managed to break my leg and I'm finding it difficult to write something serious like Broken_, _so I'm taking advantage of the painkillers and writing something funny I hope you'll all enjoy. Keep your eyes peeled for contributions from HomeGrownOregano as well. And if anyone else is interested in hopping on board the crossover olympics train, feel free to PM me!  
Oh, and sorry if the witing isn't up to par. As I said - painkillers.  
_

* * *

Eric's whistle echoed through the bullpen, interrupting everyone's usual banter as they conquered their paperwork.

"Do we have a case?" Callen asked as they made their way to Ops?

"Um... not exactly." Eric said. "Up to Ops. You'll see." He said with an air of mystery.

They arrived to find Hetty standing in front of them.

"Director Vance has proposed that we participate in a competition of sorts." She said. "It will be a series of skills competitions. We are given a description and need to choose which members of our team participate in each competition."

* * *

"Grab your gear." Gibbs said as he entered the bullpen. "And your go bags - we'll be gone for a few days."

"What's going on?" Tony asked, voicing the confusion everyone felt.

"We're going to LA!" Abby yelled excitedly as she charged up the stairs. "I'm coming too!"

"Does their office need our assistance?" Ziva asked curiously.

Vance appeared at the top of the stairs.

"I thought it was time for some friendly competition. I'm sending our most senior team to compete against the Office of Special Projects most elite team for a series of skills contests. Now get going. Wheels up in an hour."

* * *

The members of the OSP team sat around a list of events that would take place over the course of the next two weeks.

"Who came up with all this?" Deeks asked. "Some of these are awesome!"

"And some are downright ridiculous." Callen added with a growl. "I mean, seriously - undercover cross dressing event? Which one of us is going to do that?"

"Ha, here's one made for Kensi" Deeks added "Defensive driving maneuvers." He snorted. "Oh God, it says she needs a passenger... guys?" He narrowly avoided Kensi's punch.

"Oooo mental math! That's one for Sam." Kensi said "Can I do the knife throwing event?"

"Codebreaking... Hacking... Profiling... looks like we've got some for the wonder twins here." Sam added. "Is that allowed?"

* * *

Aboard the plane, members of the DC team reviewed the list of events.

"Obviously the death stare was designed for Gibbs." Tony said. "And lip reading - definitely Abby."

"Oh look, hacking! We get a team of two. You and me, Tim?" Abby asked. He confirmed with a nod.

"I would like to take the knife related events." Ziva said, knowing she would not get any argument. "Gibbs, will you be taking the long range shooting event?" A grunt was her answer, which she assumed was a yes.

"I believe that I would enjoy the profiling event" Ducky said as he surveyed the list. "If that does not pose a problem for anyone?"

"There's one here for an undercover couple... I think that one belongs to Ziva and me." Tony said.

* * *

The LA and DC teams met that evening at the bar in the hotel where Gibbs' team was staying. Pleasantries were exchanged and introductions made for those who didn't know all the members of the other team.

Hetty and Gibbs returned from the bar with a round of drinks for everyone. Hetty raised her glass.

"I propose a toast, to the best NCIS teams this country has." She began. "And may all talk of competition wait for tomorrow." She added. "Tonight is about having a good time with friends - new and old." She finished. Everyone raised their glasses in agreement. Tonight was about fun - tomorrow the games would begin.

Kensi and Ziva hit it off right away, discussing how their work experiences compared. Abby, Nell, Eric, and McGee sat back and discussed all things tech and geek. Tony fit in with Callen and Sam right away, and Deeks quickly joined their conversation. Ducky and Hetty quickly fell into a deep discussion as Gibbs sat back and watched. Maybe Vance was right. This would be good for both teams.


	2. Capture the Flag

In the morning, the two teams assembled at the boatshed. Hetty arrived last, bringing with her the directions for the day.

"Each team has been instructed to send a team of four to a training facility used by the local LAPD." She read from the paper she held in her hand and her eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. "It would appear we are playing a modified version of capture the flag." She continued. "Each team will be given blueprints in advance, and will need to place the opposing team's flag somewhere in the facility and then return to your designated 'home base' to await the signal to begin. No weapons are to be used, nor are you allowed to physically incapacitate members of the opposing team. Tagging them is sufficient for them to be captured, and similarly, tagging by a member of your own team is sufficient to release a captive. So who will we have on each team?"

Callen quickly glanced at his team - the choice to him was obvious.

"We'll have Sam and I, Kensi and Deeks."

"And for team DC?" Hetty asked.

"Tony, Ziva, McGee and I" Gibbs said, going with the obvious choice.

"Alright then." Hetty said. "May the best team win! And remember - be nice." She added sternly. "Ms. Jones, Mr. Beale, Ms. Sciuto and Dr. Mallard, we will have the opportunity to observe from Ops."

* * *

As Gibbs and his team arrived at the LAPD training facility, they could see that there were a number of structures set up, and a variety of wide open spaces. They had reviewed their blueprints on the trip over and felt moderately well prepared. Tony held the red flag, belonging to the other team.

"So where shall we place this baby?" He asked with a grin. "Any thoughts, Gibbs?" The team leader shook his head. "Any other ideas?" He asked, looking around. Ziva and McGee surveyed the blueprints in front of them, pointing out several possible locations. But it was finally Gibbs who spoke.

"It needs to be out of sight. But in an obvious place they won't expect." Gibbs said. He pointed to a small structure off to the side. "Put it on the roof of the shed." His teammates nodded in agreement.

"I'll do it" Ziva said, taking the flag. "We have a few minutes before the other team arrives." She added before taking off with the flag. Quickly, she scaled the building and tucked the flag into the gutter, before hopping back down.

* * *

"We need to find some place creative to hide it" Sam said. "It needs to be the last place that they'd think to look."

"Deeks' shorts is the last place I'd go looking..." Kensi said teasingly. But Callen's face lit up at the joke.

"That's brilliant. They won't think to look for the flag actually ON one of us." He said. "Deeks, you need to keep it tucked into your jacket pocket. You're the last one they'd suspect even if they do figure out it's on one of us." He continued. Sam shook his head.

"Are you sure we trust Shaggy with the key to the game?" He asked, still not quite sure. "It might be better off with Kensi."

"I have no place to hide it." Kensi said as she looked down at her outfit. With her jeans and long sleeved tshirt, there really wasn't anywhere to hide a phone, much less a flag.

"It's a perfect plan." Callen said. "They're going to go nuts looking everywhere."

* * *

At exactly 10:00, each team started at opposite ends of the field. A "jail" had been marked out at either end for holding captives, and a line down the middle of the field divided the facility into two zones for team Red (LA) and team Blue (DC). At the sound of a whistle, the game was to begin.

Callen and Sam quickly moved on the offensive, heading towards the largest structure on the blue side. They were certain the flag would be in the kitchen or one of the closests in the house.

Kensi and Deeks remained back to appear to defend their side.

Gibbs hung back as his three agents split up, and sat down with a bored look on his face. Ziva once again scaled a building and chose to hop from structure to structure to evade the other team. Tony ran quickly towards one of the smaller buildings on the red side, hoping to find the flag. McGee followed close behind, to distract anyone trying to capture his teammates.

Callen and Sam took advantage of the relative freedom to explore and search for the flag, lulled into security by Gibbs nonchalance and his team's offensive attack. They ran through the house, searching every nook and cranny for the flag, but of course having no luck.

Kensi took off after Tony, as Deeks put his climbing abilities to use to attempt to capture Ziva. He was unprepared as she gracefully jumped to another structure, causing him to curse and jump back down to resume his chase. Kensi quickly captured McGee, leaving Tony time to continue his search. Deeks took over escorting McGee to jail, leaving Kensi to pursue Ziva.

At the same time, Gibbs left his post and snuck into the house that Callen and Sam were busy ransacking. He approached silently, tagging Callen and then escorting him to jail. Sam was torn between retrieving his friend and continuing the search and chose instead to run while Gibbs back was turned, and begin to search another building.

With McGee secured, Deeks decided to go after Tony who was searching every inch of one of the three smaller buildings on the red side. He stealthily snuck around the side, taking only a second to glance through the window and confirm his target was inside. He continued around to the door and snuck inside but was surprised to see the room was empty. He cursed, realizing Tony must have gone out the window, and quickly exited to resume his search.

Kensi was following Ziva closely and had just about captured her on the roof, when she glanced back and saw that Callen had been captured. For a moment she prepared to hop down and free him, but a glimpse of red caught her eye.

"Our flag is on the roof! It's in the gutter on the small building over there!" She called out loudly, hoping her team could hear her. Sam emerged from the building he'd been searching, but was quickly tagged by Gibbs, sending him to jail as well. Kensi's brief distraction had been long enough for Ziva to get back to ground level and free McGee, as they ran for their own side to protect the now-located flag.

Deeks continued to stalk Tony, but after hearing Kensi's yell he knew it was time to go on the offensive. There were only 2 of them, whereas team DC had all four free.

"We need to get Callen and Sam free. One of us go for them, and the other can go for the flag. Which do you want?" Deeks asked quietly.

"I've got the flag. I can climb up there easily. You go free Callen and Sam." She said. "Let's go divide and conquer." She nodded to him, and they took off.

Deeks went first, distracting Ziva, Gibbs and McGee from seeing Kensi go for the flag - but then Ziva caught sight of Kensi and went after her instead. Somehow, Deeks managed to evade McGee and Gibbs, and made it to jail in time to free Callen. Callen took off to help Kensi, failing to notice Gibbs sneaking up on the quick-fleeing Deeks. Deeks was captured just as Kensi managed to retrieve the flag.

Ziva and McGee called for Tony as Kensi balled up the flag and tossed it to Callen who was heading for the red side. But they were all startled as a whistle was blown, indicating the end of the game. Everyone stopped and looked up, wondering what, exactly, was going on.

"The winner is the Blue team." the LAPD trainer announced, leaving everyone confused and sputtering.

"But what?"

"How?"

"We haven't even seen our flag?"

The trainer gestured for them to come to the screen in front of him, and Hetty's face appeared.

"Congratulations, team DC!" She said. "You have been declared the winners."

"But how did that happen?" Tony spoke up. "We didn't even find the flag?"

"Each flag had a GPS chip. The game was won when the flag was secured in your designated jail." She explained, giving a pointed look at Deeks. Reluctantly, he lifted his shirt and retrieved the flag. Ziva groaned.

"Well I guess that one backfired..." He mumbled. "Would have been nice to know that beforehand!" He told Hetty.

"You had all the infomation you needed, Mr. Deeks." She told him. "I look forward to seeing you all back here in an hour for lunch." She added, before severing the connection.


	3. Knives and Sparring and Hacking - oh my!

When the teams arrived back at OSP, Hetty had lunch set up for everyone. A few agents chose to hit the showers, and everyone else raided the food. Laughter and conversation filled the quiet building until everyone was full. It was then that Granger appeared to make an announcement.

"There will be several events running this afternoon." He told them. "McGee, Sciuto, Jones and Beale - you're going to be up in Ops for a series of computer based challenges. David and Blye, you'll start in the armoury and range for knife throwing. DiNozzo, Gibbs, Callen, Hanna and Deeks, you'll be sparring in the gym. Dr. Mallard and Henrietta, you'll be on call for the inevitable injuries." He explained. "You all have half an hour to prepare. Go." He told them, before vanishing.

McGee, Abby, Eric and Nell headed upstairs to Ops so that Eric and Nell could make sure McGee and Abby were familiar enough with the systems to make sure any competition was fair. They were eager to find out what their first challenge would be. Abby had used some of the technology available to Ops during her first visit, but to McGee it was still a mystical technological wonderland. As Eric and Nell showed them how to use the collection of screens, computers and tablets, they began to feel more and more confident and prepared. They had no idea what kind of competition they were in for, but they were now sure it would be on a level playing field.

* * *

Kensi and Ziva headed down to the armoury, where a note awaited them indicating that their knives would not be delivered until the competition started to prevent any unfair practice. Instead, Kensi pulled out several older sets of knives which she offered to share with Ziva for practice and took her to the shooting range to find a collection of targets set up. The two exchanged friendly conversation as they practiced, about their all-too-similar partners.

* * *

As the men made their way to the gym to warm up, they began to joke and banter.

"It's a good thing that Ziva's off playing with knives" Tony said. "Otherwise she'd kick everyone's butt at this." He mused.

"I was thinking the same about Kensi" Deeks said. "I'll never forget the first time I walked in here to hear that she had taken out Sam. I didn't believe it at the time... but I've seen it with my own two eyes." He said. Sam and Callen just nodded. All of them were grateful that their deadly assassin women were safely in the armoury to play with their knives.

Hetty came in as the men had finished their warm ups to explain the rules.

"This is not only a team event, but also an individual one. Points will go to each individual who wins a round, and we will be tracking both team and individual points." She explained, causing a few eyebrows to raise. "We have five competitors, and to start we will draw lots to determine who will go first. But each agent, or detective, will face each other competitor." She explained. "This hat has everyone's name in it. You will each draw a name, and that will indicate the first opponent you will face. Mr. Deeks, would you do the honours of drawing first?" She asked as she held out the hat.

Deeks groaned as he drew Sam's name first. "Do I really have to do this again?" He asked Hetty. "He just about killed me last time!"

Sam was up next, and he drew Gibbs. Gibbs drew Callen, Callen drew Tony and Tony drew Deeks.

"I believe we have our first round set." Hetty said. "Mr. Deeks and Mr. Hanna, you will take ring one. Mr. Callen and Mr. Gibbs, you will take ring two. Mr. DiNozzo, you will have the opportunity to watch." She said. "Now please, play fair." She advised. "Dr. Mallard will be on standby to treat any injuries. And I have brought in two good friends who will call the winner for each match." She explained as she gestured behind her at two large men.

* * *

Granger entered the armoury to find Ziva and Kensi relaxed and waiting.

"First round will be a knife throwing event." He told them, as he presented them each with a beautiful fabric holder, containing ten knives each. "Targets have been set up in the range, as I'm sure you've already noticed. First we'll be throwing at bullseye targets. Second round will be to take out mannequins. Both of these will be scored on accuracy. The third round will be a long distance round - you must hit the target bullseye, whoever can do that from the furthest distance will win. And as is being explained to your colleagues, today's competition will also allow you to collect individual as well as team points. One team point will be awarded for this part of the competition, but three individual points will be awarded." He explained. "You get ten minutes to practice with your new knives, and then we'll begin."

* * *

In Ops, Director Vance suddenly appeared on screen.

"Good afternoon." He greeted the four in front of him. "Today's task is quite simple - but also quite challenging. We'll be testing the security of the FBI, CIA and DEA." He said, causing everyone to break out into a grin. "It's essentially a scavenger hunt. Each team will find a list of information you need to find from their servers. The first team to collect all the information and forward it to me, wins." He told them. "Oh. And they don't know we're testing them - so please try not to get caught. And no using your inter-agency contacts, either." He added with a smile, then disappeared.

Abby and Nell frantically grabbed for their phones as McGee and Eric grabbed their designated equipment.

"This is the most awesome event EVER!" Squealed Abby as she opened her list of information to find and shared it with McGee.

"It's going to be a lot of fun." Eric agreed as he skimmed the list on Nell's phone. "Let's get to it!" He said, cracking his knuckles. All four hunched over their keyboards and set to work.


	4. Kensi vs Ziva - Throwing Knives

Kensi was thoroughly impressed by Ziva's concentration and accuracy with throwing the knives. And she felt a tiny bit of apprehension. Ziva was good. Really, really good. While there was no doubt that Kensi was the best on the OSP team, she was pretty sure Ziva was going to kick her ass. And the team would NEVER let her live that down.

Ziva, for her part, was quietly focusing and not allowing herself to be distracted. She knew Kensi was marine-trained and had been throwing knives from a young age - but so had she. And she was pretty sure she had started younger than her opponent. So she stayed focused and didn't allow herself to be distracted during their warm up.

The first round involved throwing as many knives as possible at a bullseye target in one minute. They drew straws, and Ziva opted to go first. She laid out the knives in front of her and waited for the buzzer to sound, before picking up and throwing each knife as quickly and accurately as possible. With her ten knives, she managed to score 8 perfect tens, 1 eight point and 1 six point, for a total of 94 points. Now it was Kensi's turn.

Kensi took a deep breath - thoroughly impressed by Ziva's score. She knew she had to do at least as well. Her knives were laid out in front of her and she took a deep breath before the buzzer sounded. She was able to throw all ten knives as well, scoring 7 perfect tens and 3 eight pointers, for a total of 94 as well. She grinned, turning to shake hands with Ziva.

"Nicely done." She congratulated her opponent. "You win this round." She acknowledged, with Ziva's 8 perfect hits beating her 7.

They both left the range and returned to the armoury to wait while Granger set up the second round with target mannequins. He returned shortly after them.

"Blye, you'll go first this round. There are 5 targets, and you each get ten knives. The targets will be moving. You need to hit them in such a way that it would take down an average individual. Fastest to do so wins." He explained. "Any questions?"

"Are we aiming to kill or incapacitate?" Ziva asked.

"Either is fine. As long as you hit them in such a way that they would be unlikely to continue an attack." He said. Both agents nodded.

"David, you wait here. Blye, follow me." He said. Kensi followed him to the range, which was now pitch black, as she took up her position. "Timer starts when the lights come on" Granger told her, stepping back.

When the lights came on, Kensi quickly took stock of the five moving targets. She grabbed her knives and quickly aimed for the closest target, securing the knife in his neck. A beep indicated that he was down. Her second knife caught the second target in the abdomen, with a second beep. The third target received a knife between the eyes, with another beep and a quiet chuckle from Kensi. The fourth target caught a knife to the arm, and immediately after a knife to the thigh, indicating a successful hit with another beep. For her fifth and final target, Kensi couldn't resist nailing the mannequin between the legs, and to her surprise she heard a loud beep indicating her success. She looked to Granger for her time, but he shook his head. She would have to wait until Ziva was finished.

Kensi retrieved her knives, and returned to the armoury with a grin.

"That was so much fun" she told Ziva. "Enjoy!" Ziva simply nodded.

Granger explained the set up to Ziva, and stood back as he waited for the lights to come on. Ziva immediately came to life, with her first knife landing in the neck of the furthest target. A second target caught a knife to the back of the head, the third taking a knife to the heart. As she launched he fourth knife, the target moved, and the knife bounced away harmlessly. Ziva cursed under her breath but resumed her attack. Targets four and five were quickly brought down with knives to the neck again. Granger nodded silently, and she retrieved her knives then followed him back to the armoury.

"You both did incredibly well, and in fact broke the record for this particular test." He told them, sounding surprised. "But the winner is Blye, by 2 seconds." He continued. Kensi burst into a grin, but again quickly turned to shake Ziva's hand for a job well done. Granger's cough interrupted them again. "However, you were damn lucky that the targets appear to be calibrated as male." He added, glaring at her. "You can thank your father for that. He liked to make the same damn shot. I'm just amazed that you beat his time."

Ziva stood back, not wanting to interrupt this moment between Granger and Kensi, but was clearly puzzled. Kensi turned back to explain.

"My dad was a Marine. He's the one who trained me. And according to Granger, he had an awesome sense of humour... he taught me that when in doubt, aim for the groin. It's the fastest way to take a man down." She told Ziva. "And I'm lucky - most of the time we go up against men." She added with a wink. Ziva nodded with a smile.

"There are no rules in love and war" She quoted. "We must use any advantage we have." She continued, eyes sparkling. She was rather fond of Kensi, albeit a bit jealous that her father had clearly trained her in love.

"For the final part to this event, we're going to need to go somewhere else." Granger told them. "I don't think we've got enough room to test you two accurately. So we're heading to the golf course." He told them. "Grab your knives, and let's go." Ziva and Kensi carefully replaced their knives in their wrap, and followed Granger to the parking lot. All three headed for the driver seat of the indicated car, but Granger shot them a look.

"I know how you two drive. Backseat, both of you." He growled. "I want to get there, alive." Kensi and Ziva exchanged a look as they both huffed and got into the back.

Upon arrival at the golf course, they were unsurprised to find it closed. Granger took them around to the driving range, where a series of bullseyes were set up.

"You get three knives for each target. You have to get at least one bullseye to continue to the next round. The individual to get the furthest bullseye, wins. Are we clear?" He asked. "No time limit, and you will be going at the same time." He added, as each agent took their designated side - Kensi with red targets and Ziva with blue. "Each new bullseye will be 10 feet further than the previous one." Both agents nodded. "OK, then let's go."

Kensi and Ziva quickly cleared the 10, 20, 30 and 40 feet targets in the first throw. With each hit, an assistant would clear the target and retrieve the knife.

At 50 feet, both women faltered slightly but succeeded on their second throw. 60 proved a wee bit more difficult, but they hit bullseye in the allotted three knives. At 70 feet, both were silent with concentration. Kensi's first knife narrowly missed the center of the bullseye. Ziva's hit the third ring. Kensi's second knife once again narrowly missed. Ziva's did as well. Kensi's third knife, once again narrowly missed, forming a perfect triangle around the target. She cursed, and took a step back. Ziva was the perfect picture of concentration as she threw her third and final knife - landing perfectly dead center in the middle of the bullseye. The assistants rushed out to collect the targets and knives, both thoughly impressed with the skill they had seen.

"David is the winner." Granger announced. "But you both did an excellent job." He nodded. "Let's get back. I think Hetty has something else up her sleeve for you two today..."


	5. Sparring

Sam drew Deeks, Sam drew Gibbs. Gibbs drew Callen, Callen drew Tony and Tony drew Deeks.

In Ring 1, Sam and Deeks prepared to spar. Hetty had told them it was up to each pair to decide on the rules, but no weapons were to be used.

"Look, last time with standard MMA rules, you kicked my ass." Deeks said. "Can we do something different this time?" Sam snorted.

"Sure. Your call. Bet I beat you anyway." He said with a grin. Deeks took a minute to think.

"First to get the other out of the ring." He suggested, and Sam nodded. "Five rounds."

"Make it 7" Sam suggested. "So this isn't over too fast." Deeks agreed and with a whistle, they began.

* * *

In Ring 2, Callen faced Gibbs. He was feeling uneasy - while he had worked closely with Gibbs and knew more about him than most, he had no idea how the man would be in a one on one sparring match.

"Any preference on rules?" He asked his mentor.

"Keep it simple. Same as them?" He gestured to Deeks and Sam who were about to start.

"Sounds good to me." Callen agreed, and faced his opponent.

They waited for their whistle, and began.

* * *

Sam began by picking up Deeks and carrying him to the edge of the ring and setting him down outside it.

"Point." He said smugly. "Time for round 2?"

"That wasn't fair!" Deeks yelled, looking at Hetty.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Deeks. Point for Sam." She said, hiding her smile. "Prepare for round 2."

At the sound of the whistle, Deeks danced around Sam, throwing the occasional kick or punch. Sam moved in towards Deeks to intimidate him, but failed as Deeks stepped in to him. Tony laughed as Sam kicked and Deeks ducked under his leg before trying to topple the larger man. It failed miserably but he continued to try to trip Sam and shove him towards the edge.

* * *

Tony and Hetty were caught up in watching Sam and Deeks' entertaining antics, paying no attention to Callen and Gibbs. Callen was surprised at just how effective Gibbs body placement was intimidating, despite not throwing a single punch or kick. As the older man stepped towards him, Callen stumbled and stepped out of the ring.

"Your point" He conceded as he stepped back in. Gibbs nodded and resumed their starting positions. Another nod, and they began again.

At the end of the first set, Gibbs bested Callen 5-2, and Sam bested Deeks 4-3.

* * *

Tony stepped up to Ring One.

"Guess it's our turn." He said, flashing a smile at Deeks. "Same rules?" Deeks nodded in agreement. Callen had retrieved a whistle from Hetty, and when everyone was set he gave the signal to start.

It was different for Deeks to face someone unfamiliar, and closer to his own size. He was used to grappling with Kensi, Callen and Sam, but found Tony had a style much more like his own. It made his actions easier to predict, and he felt the two were fairly well matched - but he knew it meant that this would be going on for a much longer time. After 10 minutes, neither man had made any progress at getting the other out of the ring, and Callen called a time out.

"I think, if we want to finish this today, we're only going to have time for 3 rounds with you two." He said. "Or if this keeps up... just one." Deeks and Tony nodded and resumed where they had left off. Tony began to ramble on about movies and Callen tried to choke back a laugh. He was sorely mistaken if chatter was going to throw Deeks off his game. Instead, Deeks interjected with relevant comments and crazy tangents, clearly confusing Tony. After another fifteen minutes, Deeks managed to beat Tony at the game he had started, and one of his distracting comments caused Tony to mis-step out of the ring.

"Point Deeks." Callen said. "And end match. I can't take another 25 minutes of that."

* * *

Sam faced Gibbs in Ring Two. They stood back and sized each other up and prepared for the battle between SEAL and Marine.

"Same rules?" Gibbs asked.

"Sure." Sam agreed. Hetty watched closely as the two men faced off. She was sure this was going to be an interesting match.

Sam started off by getting in Gibbs personal space, using his size to try to intimidate the man. It was clearly a mistake, as Gibbs didn't back up, and looked back at Sam with a bored expression on his face. Sam stepped back and went to kick, but Gibbs caught his leg and turned him, promptly dumping Sam outside the ring. The whistle blew.

"Point Gibbs." Hetty said, trying to keep the amusement out of her voice. She was sure this was the most interesting match of the set.

At the end, it was 4-1 for Gibbs. And they agreed five was more than sufficient.

* * *

It was now Tony's turn to face Callen, while Gibbs prepared for his third straight match - this time facing Deeks.

Sam grabbed the whistle from Hetty, and agreed to supervise Tony and Callen. He was sure his partner was going to quickly take down a man who had been beaten by Deeks.

"Let's mix it up." Callen suggested. "MMA style?" He asked Tony. Tony shot back a grin.

"Sounds like fun. You're on." And with a whistle, they began.

Tony was clearly unprepared for Callen's speed, and rapidly lost the first two rounds. As he braced himself for the third, he took a deep breath and threw himself into the match. He barely managed to scrape together a win. But luck wasn't on his side, and he lost the next two rounds before conceding defeat.

* * *

Deeks decided to employ the same strategy with Gibbs that he had used with Tony. What he hadn't expected was that in response to his chatter, Gibbs swatted him on the back of the head. Deeks stood up, confused and shot Gibbs a puzzled look.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"Works with Tony." Gibbs said, shrugging. "Thought it might work on you."

"You'll need to try harder than that." Deeks teased. "Kensi's been punching me in the arm for a year, and it still hasn't shut me up." Gibbs gave him a puzzled look.

"You have more in common with DiNozzo than I thought." He mumbled, shaking his head. At that moment, Deeks managed to take advantage of the situation and edge Gibbs' toe out of the ring. Now it was Hetty's turn to shake her head.

"Point for Deeks." She said, clearly surprised. But Gibbs managed to get his focus back, and the round ended 5-2 for Gibbs.

* * *

As Gibbs stepped out of the ring for a break, Deeks faced Callen and Sam faced Tony. Both opted for MMA rules, and the final scores were 4-3 for Deeks and 5-2 for Sam.

Tony bowed out gracefully, refusing to face his boss for a sparring match, automatically giving Gibbs the win. This left only Callen and Sam. Hetty, Gibbs, Tony and Deeks surrounded to watch the two partners face off. They agreed to their own standard set of rules, with no whistle, judge or referee. After 20 minutes of no apparent progress on either side, the two men stood up and declared that Sam had won.

* * *

"I now have a special announcement" Hetty informed them. "A number of you pointed out that we're missing two of our best sparring agents." She said. "Anyone who wishes to take on Ms. Blye or Ms. David may do so later on today. The choice is yours, but be advised that if they win, they will get the individual points." She continued. "And for what it's worth - I wouldn't take on either one of them."

* * *

Final points for those keeping score

Gibbs -4

Sam - 3

Ziva - 2

Deeks - 2

Kensi - 1

Callen - 1

Tony - 0

Team DC - 3

Team LA - 0


	6. Hack the DEA and Kensi vs Ziva

In Ops, everything was silent except for the squeak of chairs and the tap of keyboard keys. Occasionally Nell and Eric would confer with glances, or Abby and McGee would whisper back and forth - but they were focused on the task at hand.

There were three separate scavenger hunts, one for each agency. They had all agreed to start with the DEA, as they knew their systems were the weakest. Neither team knew what stage the other was at and they respectfully didn't attempt to peek.

For four individuals who were used to collaborating with others and wanting the benefit of working together, it was actually quite difficult for them to not confer with each other. On numerous occasions, Eric would turn to Abby to ask a question or offer a suggestion, only to cut himself off with an apologetic smile. Abby seemed to be struggling with the same thing. Finally, it was Nell who broke the silence.

"What do you say we agree to a 15 minute break every 2 hours? So we can step away, refocus, and chat about anything BUT what we're doing?" Everyone else quickly agreed - and realizing that they were nearly 2 hours in, they set down their keyboards and stepped out of Ops. McGee stretched his back, while Abby couldn't stop talking. Nell stepped downstairs to get a cup of tea, while Eric chatted with Abby.

"We should check in and see how the other events are doing." He finally suggested. They agreed and he pulled up footage of the gym on the screen in the bullpen. They all got a great laugh watching Tony and Deeks talking nonstop even though they had no idea what they were saying. All of them just shook their heads. They were looking forward to getting final scores later today.

When the timer sounded indicating that the 15 minutes was up, they all went back upstairs to continue.

Within minutes of their break, Nell and Eric had completed the first hunt and submitted it to Director Vance. A quick email reply confirmed they had all the information and that they had indeed beat Team DC. They exchanged a quick grin, and moved on to round two - FBI.

* * *

Kensi and Ziva returned from their brief excursion, only to be ushered into the gym. Hetty had just finished explaining to the men that they would later have the opportunity to spar with the women IF they so desired - but first, there was a surprise special event.

Kensi and Ziva were escorted to Ring One as Hetty retrieved her latest toys. She handed each female agent a dull bladed knife, leaving them all confused.

"These are my latest acquisition. They are training knives, which will give a mild shock when touched to human skin. They also keep score by noting how many touches occur during a round. And you, my dears, will be the first to trial them, in a traditional knife fight." She explained. Kensi and Ziva's faces lit up with glee as they examined the weapon in their hand. They exchanged a brief look accompanied by a sly grin, and they both charged towards their respective partners to test out the extent of the shock. Tony and Deeks moved just a bit too slowly, and both let out a loud yelp as the knives made contact with their skin. Satisfied, Kensi and Ziva returned to the ring to begin.

They faced off and when the whistle began, neither of them held back. Both of them had arms and legs flying, bodies twisting and hair whirling around while the men stood and silently watched. All of them were sure that they didn't DARE face either of these two in the sparring ring. The occasional crackle would sound as the knives made contact with each other, but even after ten minutes of fighting, a knife had yet to make contact with either agent's skin. At fifteen minutes, Hetty blew the whistle for a break. Kensi and Ziva stepped back and set their knives down to shake hands, before picking them up to tease their partners. This time, Tony and Deeks cleared the room before either woman could move.

Hetty determined that 5 minutes was a sufficient break and shortly afterwards, they resumed their match. This time, luck seemed to be on Kensi's side as she managed to tag Ziva on the foot. Ziva jerked back and quickly returned Kensi's attack with one of her own, narrowly missing her hand. They began to fight more aggressively, each succeeding in tapping their opponent on the side. Ziva caught Kensi's shoulder and Kensi promptly caught Ziva's thigh. At the end of the second 15 minute round, Kensi had managed 7 tags to Ziva's 4, and was officially declared the winner.

Upon completion of their match, Hetty turned to the five men standing in front of her.

"Would any of you like to challenge either of these fine ladies to a sparring match, with or without the knives?" She asked. Gibbs stepped forward to test one of the knives and nodded at Kensi. Callen felt someone on their team should step up and challenge Ziva, and when neither of his colleagues stepped up, he did.

Kensi and Gibbs took the knives to Ring One, while Callen and Ziva took Ring Two to spar, agreeing to attempt to remove the other from the ring. Tony, Deeks and Sam sat back with amused looks on their faces, preparing to watch these interesting rounds.

Gibbs had been thoroughly impressed by Kensi's skill. While he didn't believe he had a chance to beat her, he wanted to try Hetty's training knives and he looked forward to the chance to challenge this Marine's daughter himself. For a brief moment he wondered if this is what Kelly would have been like - but seeing the fire in Kensi's eyes, he knew that she had more in common with him than she would have had with Kelly. Her face mirrored his loss.

They stepped back to wait for the whistle before their sparring began. He was unsurprised at Kensi's aggressive attack. She held nothing back despite his age and his rank, and that was something he admired. She quickly tagged the edge of his hand, and he couldn't help but smile at the sting. She was a perfect match for Ziva. Ten minutes in, Kensi had managed to make two solid hits, while Gibbs had yet to make one, and he conceded defeat - shaking her hand with a solid nod of approval.

Callen prepared to take on Ziva in the sparring ring, used to having his butt kicked by Kensi. Ziva had a much different fighting style despite the many similarities that the female agents shared. He found himself fascinated and distracted by her on occasion, and knew within seconds that he was going to lose every round. He valliantly held on for several minutes the first round, but the second and third lasted less than 90 seconds. He also conceded defeat.

* * *

And... Total points

Gibbs -4

Sam - 3

Ziva - 3

Kensi - 3

Deeks - 2

Callen - 1

Nell - 1

Eric - 1

Tony - 0

Abby - 0

McGee - 0

Team DC - 3 (Capture the Flag, Sparring, Knife Throwing)

Team LA - 1 (Knife Fight)


	7. Hacking and Dinner

Nell and Eric quickly set to work at hacking the FBI. While neither would admit it, it was something they had both done before, and they suspected Vance might know that. Then again, it would be surprising if McGee and Abby hadn't had need to do so in the past as well. They decided to divide and conquer, with Nell starting at the top of the list and Eric at the bottom. If one of them got stuck, they could work together, but figured that this way might be quicker. Nell was surprised at the ease with which she was able to retrieve case files, but Eric was struggling to find the identity of a particular agent's cover.

McGee and Abby finished up with the DEA about 20 minutes after Eric and Nell. Abby was optomistic about their chances at completing the FBI hunt first, as McGee had on many occasions retrieved information from them before - and it could only be made easier with the technology at their disposal now. Sure enough it only took minutes before he was through the last firewall and they were retrieving the first lot of information that they needed.

Both teams were so absorbed in their work that they didn't even notice the timer go off for their break, and no one looked up until their teammates started to enter the secure room. A few minutes later, Vance appeared on the big screen.

"And that's it for tonight." He told them. "Put down what you're doing, and we'll resume tomorrow morning. And no cheating and working on it overnight, or you team will be eliminated from this event. Also, you won't have my protection if you get caught." He advised with a stern look. Abby, McGee, Nell and Eric finally looked up and shut their computers down, taking time to stretch before standing up to shake hands. Eric loaded the video feed of the days events for everyone to watch as they chatted about what had happened that day.

Everyone watched Ziva and Kensi's events with awe, their faces a mix of awe and fear. Both got a thorough round of applause for their record-setting skills. When footage of the different sparring matches played, there was laughter and concern at the different combinations of sparring partners. The favourite event to review though was Ziva and Kensi's knife fight. Everyone in the room could agree that challenging one of these women with a knife would be a very bad idea.

No one noticed when Hetty entered the room, but they all noticed when she coughed to get their attention.

"Dinner tonight is up to each individual. Please report back here at 8 pm for this evening's final event. All team members will be participating in tonight's deception challenge." She told them. "If our guests from DC would like any restaurant recommendations, I'm sure the LA team will be pleased to help you find what you are looking for." And with a quick nod, she disappeared.

"I'm going for fish and chips and beer." Deeks said. "Anyone want to join me?" He asked. Tony, Abby, Eric, Kensi and Callen quickly agreed, and after a moment of consideration, the rest agreed. Kensi, Nell and Gibbs all grabbed keys, leaving the others to decide which driver they trusted. Everyone quickly realized that they couldn't all fit in Nell's Mini, and with a sigh Tony grabbed Ziva to ride with Kensi, while Callen, Sam and Ducky went with Gibbs. Abby, Eric and McGee decided it was worth it to cram themselves into Nell's car.

Upon arrival at the fish and chip shack at the beach, they unloaded and went up to check out the menu. They joked and chatted while waiting for their food, and once it was ready they took up residence at two large picnic tables.

"So what's up with this 'deception challenge' today? Anyone know?" Abby asked, looking around. "I mean, it's probably got something to do with lying or tricking the other team, but do we know any more? Any specifics?" She asked. The only answer she got was several shrugged shoulders.

* * *

At 8:00, both teams had returned to OSP and assembled in the bullpen. Hetty appeared and gestured for everyone to follow her to the gym.

"Tonight's event is a game of deception." She began. "Each evening, there will be a challenge that takes the form of a game, or there will be an excursion. Tonight, of course, is a game. We will be playing a variation of the youth party game '3 truths, 1 lie.' There will be one individual and one team point awarded this evening. Each member of the team will have one turn per round, where he or she must make four personal statements - three truthful and one not. The opposing team must work together which is the lie. If they are correct, their team scores a point. If not, the individual gets the point. Time permitting, we will have five rounds with a short break between each one. Are there any questions?" After a minute of silence, she continued. "Then let's begin. Each team has 2 minutes to decide on their line up."


	8. Three Truths, One Lie

Both teams decided to lead with their more honest members, and progress to the more skilled undercover operators. Team DC was given the option of starting guessing or putting up a member of their team, and chose to guess. That meant Eric was up first.

"Um... ok. So... I'm first." Eric stumbled over his words. "So... I have one sister. I broke the Internet twice. I don't wear pants to work. And I've never fired a gun." He told them, quickly sitting down again. "Phew, that was hard." He whispered to Nell.

Team DC discussed his statements for a moment.

"He can't possibly have broken the Internet, twice." McGee insisted before he was cut off by Abby.

"I know he did it at least once, for a case. I was downloading video for a case at the time, he owed me big time for that." She insisted.

"I think the obvious is that he doesn't wear pants to work. How can Hetty allow that?" Tony asked. "But to work for NCIS and have NEVER fired a gun is pretty unbelievable too."

"He appeared to be under stress when he spoke about the Internet, and about not firing a gun." Ducky said "Indicating that one of those may be the untruth, or that it is something that he finds troubling."

"I agree with Ducky. He looked away during the last statement. I believe that may be the lie." Ziva added, looking to Gibbs. The team nodded in agreement. Ziva and Ducky were both good judges of truth or dishonesty.

"The last one, about the guns. That was the lie." Tony told Hetty confidently. She looked to Mr. Beale with the slightest grin.

"That would be incorrect." Hetty told them. "One point for Mr. Beale." Everyone's jaws dropped, and team LA gave Eric a small round of applause. "Now who will be first up for team DC?" She asked, and Abby stepped up first.

"Ok, so I'm like, really bad at lying, but you all probably know that..." She started. "But here we go. I have nine tattoos. My Grandmother won an Olympic Gold Medal in swimming. I have one brother. And once I tied up my assistant with duct tape, so I don't have to have an assistant any more." She flashed a grin at team LA before sitting down, relieved to be done.

All of team LA looked to Eric, hoping he could confirm at least some of the truths.

"Ok, I know she has a lot of tattoos. And I'm pretty sure she just has the one brother, Luca. I wouldn't doubt the other two, either, though. She's got a pretty awesome, crazy family. And I could totally see her tying someone up with duct tape if they pissed her off..." He trailed off. "I guess I'm not much help."

"Could she really get away with tying her assistant up though? That's got to be against some office protocol." Nell pointed out. "And would anyone actually give in and let her have her way after she did something like that?" Callen thought for a minute but had to agree with Nell.

"Doesn't the Olympic swimmer thing seemed a bit far fetched?" Sam asked. But no one else was convinced. "Ok, then tell me this. Why would she make up such a ridiculous lie if she wanted us to think it was the truth?" And that's something they had to agree with. They looked to Eric again.

"Fine. I'd guess the Olympic one then?" He suggested. "Unless she's got, like 8 or 10 tattoos..." His voice drifted off. Nell stood up quickly though before anyone could change their mind.

"Our guess is the Olympic Gold Medal." Nell said. Hetty's nod confirmed they were right, and team LA grinned.

"But for the record - it was almost true. Her Grandmother won a SILVER medal." Hetty added, to everyone's surprise.

Nell was up next for the LA team.

"I'm 5 foot 2, I have a large, close knit family, I grew up on the East Coast and I qualify for membership of the Prometheus Society." She told them hurriedly, and rushed to sit down. Eric waited until team DC turned to discuss their choice before he ducked down to whisper in her ear.

"You qualify for Prometheus? That's so cool. But it means I know your IQ is over 160." He told her. She scowled at him slightly.

"How do you know that wasn't the lie?" She asked.

"You're 5'1" Nell. I know your height." He told her.

"You're wrong. I'm 5'1.5". You're off by half an inch, genius." She snapped, clearly annoyed. But they were interrupted when Abby stood up ready to answer.

"The second one, about your family. That's gotta be the lie. No one works in OSP if they've got a great family background." She said confidently.

"And that would be incorrect Ms. Sciuto. While I know we have a reputation for collecting misfits and damaged goods, Ms. Jones does indeed have a loving, close knit family back East who miss her very much. Not all of us are isolated." Hetty told her. "I believe that would mean the point goes to Nell. And team DC, it is your turn."

Ducky stood up for his turn.

"I believe it was in 1986 that I had a case involving..." He began, launching into the first of his stories. After 19 minutes, he finally completed his four statements (or rather, stories), leaving team LA with glazed eyes and unsure what to choose. On the team DC side, Tony couldn't help but snicker. After a few moments of blankly staring at each other, Callen spoke.

"I think... we all kind of got caught up in the stories. So... anyone notice anything that seemed particularly not-truthful?" His team just stared at him silently. "OK then, let's pick a random number. Three? Sound good?" Everyone else just nodded, so Callen stood up.

"We're going to go with the third one." He said.

"I'm afraid, Mr. Callen, that was incorrect. Dr. Mallard did indeed treat a member of the Royal family once. It would do you and your team well to pay better attention as I believe the lie was quite obvious and you have missed it. Point for Dr. Mallard." She nodded. "And if you would be so inclined, I would love to hear the rest of your story over tea sometime."


	9. Three Truths, One Lie continued

_Author Note - I hadn't anticipated how much research I would need to do to write this chapter! Thank you to Jelena Michel (NCIS Guidebook) and Dubigail for their assistance in collecting the truths for this chapter. I apologize for how long this took, but I wouldn't publish it if I couldnt' make it accurate. Another chapter will be coming soon, but it will not include this much detail for the next two rounds. And if you really aren't sure which ones are the lies, knock yourself out researching! Just kidding, if you're desperate to know, review or PM me._

* * *

Sam was up next. He went for the no nonsense approach as the others had.

"My wife is former CIA, I have two kids, I went to Catholic School and I hate clowns."

Team DC conferred briefly. They discussed the likelihood of an OSP agent having a wife, let alone kids. But it was Ziva who pointed out that Sam was clearly a military man from a military family and that just didn't fit with Catholic school.

"Catholic school. That is the lie." She informed Hetty, who confirmed it with a nod.

"I'm surprised, Mr. Hanna, that you felt that was a believable lie."

"Yeah, well I hoped the two kids would throw them off." He told her before sitting down.

McGee stood for his turn.

"I went to John Hopkins and MIT, I got a Mac SE for my eleventh birthday, I'm a best selling author, and I speak fluent Klingon."

"Everything he said is believable except the Best Selling Author thing." Deeks insisted. "Smart, nerdy... he's terrible at this game."

"But it almost seems too obvious." Callen said. "He's an agent, has been for a while. He has to be better at deception."

"I think Callen is on to something. I'm pretty sure I've heard of his pen name, something Gemcity..." Eric mused.

"He wrote Deep Six?!" Nell exclaimed. "That makes total sense! He wrote about his team! Oh my gosh, we can have some fun with that." She continued. "I can't believe I didn't see it before!"

"OK... so if he actually IS a best selling author, which of the others isn't true?"

"I'm thinking it has to be Klingon." Eric said. "I just can't imagine he'd have the time to become fluent. I mean, it's one thing to speak some, but how fluent can you be in a fictional language? That's my guess, anyway." After a bit more discussion, they agreed Eric's reasoning made sense.

"It has to be the Klingon." Eric told Hetty. "It's too difficult to be fluent in a fictional language, and would take more dedication and time than Agent McGee would have."

Hetty nodded and smiled at her team.

"That would be correct. And I must say, Mr. Gemcity, that I quite enjoyed reading 'Deep Six' although I'm sure your teammates were less impressed."

Deeks took his turn with an easy going grin. "This hair is 100% styled by pillow, before becoming a cop I was a public defender, my dog, Monty, is a retired service dog with PTSD, and I'm totally musically inept." He told them. Kensi couldn't help herself and a snort escaped from her as she tried to hold back her laughter.

"The hair thing, I can get behind. And from his partner's reaction I'm betting musically inept is an understatement but the truth." Tony said. "But a dog with PTSD is as much of a stretch as him being a lawyer."

"I am not sure about the hair." Ziva said. "I do not think it possible for it to be so... perfectly wild without assistance." She tried to explain. Tony shot her a look, bothered that she might be attracted to 'Shaggy's' hair.

"I have to disagree with Tony. I think that it is perfectly possible for him to have been a public defender. He specializes in undercover and deception, I'm sure he has a collection of different personas and the laid back surfer he projects could be one of them. I see no reason that a law student and public defender could not be another." Ducky mused.

"So then it has to be the dog, right?" McGee asked.

"No way. Dogs can have PTSD, just like humans. Especially if he was a service dog. And Deeks seems like the type to take in a dog in need. And that isn't the kind of thing you lie about, that'd be mean." Abby protested.

"Fine then. So what do we think it is?" Tony asked.

"I agree with Ziva, my vote is for the hair." Abby insisted.

"Public defender." Gibbs said and Tony and McGee nodded. After a few minutes of silence and exchanged looks, Tony stood.

"We're going to go for the public defender thing." He said, instantly disappointed as a grin spread across Deeks' face.

"I'm afraid that is incorrect, Mr. DiNozzo. Mr. Deeks was, in fact, an excellent public defender before leaving to join the LAPD." Hetty told him. "Don't be deceived by appearances."

Team DC chose Ziva next, knowing she was impossible to read and wanting to redeem themselves.

"I speak fourteen languages. I am 172 cm tall. I have no middle name. My sister was killed in a hamas suicide bombing."

Callen watched Ziva intently, hoping for a tell, but of course found none. Sam pondered what she had said while Kensi was lost in thought.

"Any hints, wonder twins?" Deeks asked Eric and Nell, hoping they had read something that would confirm or refute one of her statements.

"Nada. She doesn't have a middle name listed. She looks about the right height. And I'd find both the sister and the languages believable." Nell said.

"Actually, I think she mentioned her sister when we worked that case together. Or maybe her partner did. But I'm pretty sure that one is accurate." Eric said, thinking back to the last time they had worked with the team from DC.

"I'd be inclined to go for the height thing." Callen said. "All she'd have to do is add or subtract a centimetre, we wouldn't know the difference." Sam nodded in agreement before he stood.

"We're going to go with her height." He said. "We think she's off by one or two centimetres."

"And that would be incorrect, Mr. Hanna." Hetty said. "Ms. David is exactly 172 cm."

Kensi went next, determined to win another point for herself.

"I grew up a marine brat, I played college softball, I have an oregano garden and I can hotwire a plane."

Tony eyed the brunette, hoping for a clue. There was no doubt in his mind that she was a military brat, and marine seemed to fit.

"Marine brat is true. Her father was Donald Blye." Gibbs said.

"She looks like she could be an athlete." Tony said. "I'd buy the college softball thing.

"It is extremely difficult to hot wire a plane." Ziva said cautiously. "And a very unusual skill. However, having competed with her earlier today I am not sure I would not believe it."

Abby, Ducky and McGee remained silent as they pondered the statements Kensi had made.

"Tony is right, she easily has the build of an athlete, and having seen how she can throw a knife, I do believe she could have played college softball. That leaves us with the mundane oregano garden and the unlikely ability to hotwire an airplane. I am honestly not sure which I would disbelieve." Ducky finally stated.

"I get that she was raised by a marine and she's like Ziva's American twin - but I just can't imagine how anyone could learn to hotwire a plane." Abby said.

"I am able to." Ziva stated, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, but you're, like, Mossad." Abby said. "Kensi is just NCIS. I just don't buy it."

After more deliberation, the team finally agreed it was far more likely she would grow oregano than hotwire a plane. So Abby stood to deliver their answer.

"No way she can hotwire a plane." Abby said. She was quickly deflated when she saw Deeks raise his eyebrows.

"I am afraid that is incorrect, Ms. Sciuto. Ms. Blye has on several occasions done so."

Tony chose to copy Deeks' laid back style.

"My mother died when I was eight. My fraternity pledge name was, of course, sex machine." He took a moment to wink at Kensi and Nell. "I played basketball for Iowa State. I survived the plague."

Sam's eyes lit up as he watched Tony speak, and as soon as he had finished he gestured to his team.

"I can't believe it! When he mentioned basketball, he looked down and to the left. Just barely, but it was there. For the rest he maintained eye contact with us. That has got to be it.

"Yup, I saw it too. Basketball at Iowa is definitely wrong." Nell added, standing up.

"You didn't play basketball at Iowa." Nell said confidently, reassured when Hetty nodded.

"That is correct. I believe it was Ohio state, isn't that right, Mr. DiNozzo?" She asked, and he confirmed with a nod.

Callen was the final member to play for team LA. As even his closest friends knew little about him, they were sure he could fool the opposing team.

"I don't like my first name, so I go by G. I was placed in 37 foster homes growing up before Hetty took me in. I've worked for the CIA, FBI and DEA. And I now live in one of my former foster homes."

"Pretty sure it's the first one. He doesn't know his name." Gibbs said, to the disbelief of his team.

"How can he not KNOW his own name?" Tony asked.

"I would find that quite peculiar." Ducky added.

Gibbs' response was just to shrug.

"Even if you don't like your name, they still make you use it on your paperwork. On his, it just says 'G'. " Gibbs explained. No one dared to disagree.

"First one, about your name, was the lie." Gibbs stated, and Hetty nodded.

"That would be correct." She said. Callen cursed under his breath, knowing Gibbs would have known the truth behind that one.

Gibbs took the final turn of round 1.

"My front door is never locked. I joined the Corps in '76. I keep my own coffee grinder and beans in my go bag. And my three ex wives have come after me with a baseball bat, a 7 iron and a tennis racket."

Team LA exchanged thoughtful looks while they tried to decide which was most likely.

"Surely he locks his door sometimes." Sam insisted. "No one in their right mind would leave it unlocked all the time."

"Nope, I've been there. Any time I've shown up, the door is unlocked." Callen insisted. "And he does keep the coffee grinder and beans in his go bag. He's picky about his coffee."

"So we're down to the year he joined the corps, and the ex wives." Nell said. "The corps is believable... the wives, not so much."

"He does have three ex-wives." Callen said. "And I'm pretty sure I remember hearing about the 7 iron. Not sure about the other two though."

"What on earth does he do to them that they would come after him with sporting equipment?" Kensi asked. "He seems like too good of a guy."

"Then we'll go with the year he joined the Corps?" Sam asked. "It's the only one Callen can't at least partly confirm." Everyone nodded in agreement as Sam stood.

"Second one, the year he joined the Corps." Sam told Hetty.

"And that, Mr. Hanna, is incorrect." She said. "We will take a short break, and then begin round two."

* * *

Deeks, Ziva, Kensi, Gibbs, Ducky, Nell and Eric successfully fooled their opponents.

Abby, Sam, Callen, McGee and Tony didn't do quite as well.


	10. Uneventful end to an Eventful day

_Author note... Ok, ok, I know you're dying for more. And more will come in a few days but here's a tiny teaser chapter for now. Keep in mind this is just a fun side project - my focus at the moment is on my story Broken Blye._

* * *

The evening continued, with each new round bringing revelations about the agents, and everyone beginning to wonder how, exactly, Hetty knew the answer every time. By the end of round three, though, everyone felt well and truly done. The final results were close, but Kensi, Ziva, Gibbs and Deeks were undefeated. Tony fared the worst with not a single win, while Eric and Abby won one and lost two. The remaining participants each managed to pull off two wins and one loss. This left team LA as the winners.

As everyone prepared to head out for the evening, they were all clearly tired. Normally, Deeks or Callen would propose heading out for a round of drinks, but no one seemed game. Everyone slipped out with a quiet round of "byes" - and no one noticed that Ducky failed to leave with his team but instead followed Hetty to her office for a cup of tea.

The two chatted well into the night before deciding that sleep was a necessity. Given the late hour, Hetty escorted Ducky to a nondescript door at the back of the building, which she opened to reveal a hotel quality bedroom.

"I spend a great deal of time here, and it never hurts to have a decent sleep." She explained. "I trust you will find it quite comfortable. Thank you for such a pleasant evening, Dr. Mallard." She said.

"Please, you must call me Ducky, all of my friends do." He insisted. "And thank you for such wonderful hospitality. Are you sure you wouldn't prefer to stay here yourself?" He inquired.

"I have a second suite two doors down, Ducky. Please don't hesitate to come get me if you need anything. Good night." She told him with a smile, as she pulled the door closed behind her.

* * *

_Author note: no, this will not become a "Hecky" or "Dutty" piece. As warned at the beginning, this is my brain on painkillers. I couldn't help pairing up the two a little bit. It made me giggle. (5 point bonus for anyone who can come up with a better name for this pair!)_


	11. Sniper!

Author note - in order to continue this story as fun and light hearted, and not take weeks to write each chapter, from this point on you need to suspend reality a wee bit. I'm finding myself spending way too much time fact checking to make it realistic. I know nothing about guns. I've never even touched a gun. I don't know anything about LA, because the only time I've been there is in the airport. But I've wasted hours and hours doing research to try and make this perfectly realistic. I don't mind doing that for my long and serious stories but this was supposed to be fun and lighthearted. So from now on, suspend reality a wee bit. I know not all of this chapter will be realistic because I don't know anything about firearms!

* * *

Everyone assembled in the bullpen, bright and early. Only Gibbs shot a glance at Ducky, and no one else was any the wiser.

"Today will be all about firearms." Hetty began. "This morning, the snipers will be taken to a shooting range outside of the city. I believe that would be Mr. Gibbs, Ms. David, Mr. Callen and Ms. Blye. Our techs will return to Ops to continue their challenge from yesterday. Those who are not participating in this mornings' events may watch the sniper challenge, or you may have the morning off. Those who are participating. You have fifteen minutes. Ms. Blye, you will need to retrieve your rifle. Mr. Gibbs, I believe yours was sent with you. Ms. David, Mr. Callen, you may go to the armoury to select one." Hetty explained, and everyone quickly dispersed.

Tony and Deeks went down to the armoury as well, leaving Ducky in Hetty's office. Sam chose to head home to have a rare morning off with his wife. Nell, Eric, Abby and McGee headed up to ops to await the signal to begin.

* * *

Deeks and Tony chose to go with their partners to watch the sniper challenge. The drive to the range took just over an hour, leaving plenty of time for banter and teasing. Callen and Gibbs rolled their eyes a lot, occasionally engaging in their own discussions.

Upon arrival at the range, Granger met them and explained how the task would be run. Each sniper would have twenty minutes to locate an ideal spot from which to shoot, and to set themselves up. When their time was up, each agent would receive a message on their phone with information about their targets. Deeks and Tony were sent to an observation station from which they could safely watch.

Kensi grabbed her rifle and quickly took off, wanting to find the ideal location. There were abandoned buildings, natural cliffs and trees all surrounding their target area, which was in a valley full of abandoned junk. She saw cars, shipping containers and all manner of discarded appliances strewn throughout the valley.

Gibbs and Callen took a similar approach, briefly looking over the target area before heading out to find their ideal position. Ziva chose a different approach, instead going down into the target area and looking around before spotting what she felt was the best perch. She set off to her location, taking an indirect route, as if this were a true raid and she was trying to avoid being caught.

In the end, Callen and Gibbs opted for natural cover, choosing separate yet similar rocky outcroppings overlooking the target zone for their location. Ziva chose a location that was much lower, but gave her a direct line of site to possible targets and several possible escape routes. Kensi was the least traditional, choosing an abandoned warehouse at the opposite end from Ziva, allowing debris to provide her with the necessary cover. The agents had barely settled and set up when they received their directions.

"Each of you will have found a coloured tag with your rifle. You will have four targets, each identified with your colour. You must first disable the indicated vehicle, then shoot the two mannequins identified with your colour in the head, and finally, shoot through the flag of your colour that is flying on the opposite ledge. You are then to proceed to your get away vehicle at the entrance to the compound. Points will be awarded for accuracy, speed, ability to escape unnoticed, and how well you were able to conceal yourself. Your time begins now."

Everything was silent for a moment, and Tony and Deeks were on the edge of their seats waiting for the shooting to begin. They watched as a scout in the observation tower searched to find the agents (easily spotting Callen, but unable to find the other three) then started pressing buttons and running controls. In the target area, suddenly mannequins began to weave around the debris. In a matter of minutes, each and every one was shot down.

The scout watched as the agents made their retreat, and identified movement out of the corner of his eye. Ziva was just barely noticed. Deeks had a good idea where his partner was and caught just a glimpse of her running to the safe zone, but she managed to avoid being seen by the scout. No one saw Gibbs until he appeared in his vehicle.

The competition was declared complete, so Tony and Deeks were allowed to rejoin their partners while scores were tallied.

Kensi, whose colour had been orange, had quickly taken out each target with incredible accuracy and wasn't caught at any point in time by the scout ( although Deeks whispered to her that he had managed to find her). Callen was blue, and had been quicker, but his shots were less accurate and he lost points for being too visible both in his location and his escape. Gibbs was green, and while he took out each mannequin with a precise shot to the head, and hit the flag dead centre, he had failed to disable the vehicle that he shot. The speed at which he took his shots was excellent but he hadn't escaped as quickly as the others. He did, however, receive perfect points for concealment. Ziva was yellow. She precisely took out her mannequins, car and flag quickly and efficiently, and her location was ideal, but she lost points for being sighted as she retreated.

Kensi was declared the winner, with Ziva and Gibbs a close second. Granger suggested that if Callen might want to retrain, which was met with a glare. Everyone headed back to the vehicle to return to LA to prepare for an afternoon in the shooting range.


	12. Bang Bang

_Author note - no, I haven't abandoned this story. I have several other works in progress, and I have to be in the right frame of mind to write a particular story. I started writing this on painkillers, and sometimes I have a hard time writing something amusing. I have now enlisted the help of a second writer to be announced... Now for that reason I am skipping a chapter here. So we're moving on to the afternoon now, and I'll come back to the morning. Sorry! _

The afternoon continued with the gun theme from the morning. Hetty assembled everyone in the armoury to explain the events of the afternoon.

"This afternoon will be a collection of challenges for everyone, taking place in the shooting range. We will begin with a quick and simple event. Every member of the team will choose from a collection of standard weapons used in law enforcement, and will take six shots at the target. The winning team will be the one with the cumulative highest score, and an individual point will be awarded to the individual with the best score. After this, non agents will be allowed to watch. The agents from each team will compete in a non dominant hand target shoot, a race, a blindfolded target shoot, a challenge to use a firearm that is unfamiliar to them, and additional challenges if time permits. Are there any questions?" Hetty asked.

"Um, yeah... What if we've never held a gun before... I mean, what if we're not sure exactly what to do?" Eric asked as his cheeks reddened.

"Mr. Beale, I know you are an incredible shot in your online games. I see no reason that cannot translate into real life." Hetty told him firmly. He opened his mouth to protest again but Nell placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered something in his ear, causing him to change his mind about speaking up. The agents on each team exchanged looks at the idea of some of their less experienced colleagues shooting, but they hoped that the opposing team had an equally weak link.

Gibbs, Callen, Tony and Sam went first. They each chose their own service weapon, and within seconds each target had a perfect centre mass grouping.

Kensi, Ziva, Nell and Abby went next. Kensi and Ziva scored perfect centre mass hits, with Nell faring almost as well. Abby had one shot miss the target, but the remaining five successfully hit their mark, with one at centre mass.

Last up were Deeks, McGee, Ducky and Eric. Deeks and McGee both did well, with Deeks achieving a perfect score, and McGee very close behind. Ducky did surprisingly well, firing slowly but effectively. After everyone else had completed, Eric finally pointed the gun down range, shut his eyes and pulled the trigger. Shouts and applause broke out when his first shot hit the target in the head. He once again pointed his gun and cringed, pulling the trigger. He successfully hit it again. Four more shots later, all of them had hit the target. Nell and Abby came running at him as soon as he set the gun down and wrapped him in a double hug.

"I can't believe I did that!" Eric said. "I shot a gun! A real gun!" Sam came up behind him and laughed.

"I can't believe you hit him in the head with your eyes closed." He said.

"I'm not sure if that was pure luck or hidden talent." Callen added, obviously impressed. Hetty just smiled knowingly at the group.

"I told you, Mr. Beale." She said, giving him a look. Eric blushed even deeper, before Abby pulled him from the room. "Our next challenge is non dominant hand shooting, using your service weapon." Hetty stated. "As team LA has an extra person shooting, scores will be averaged, and the highest average wins."

Deeks, Tony, Gibbs, Sam, Callen and McGee each stood up to their stations. When Hetty gave the signal, they placed their dominant hand behind their back, picked up their weapon and fired six shots at the target. Gibbs, Deeks and McGee had surprisingly good scores, although none were perfect. Callen and Sam did well, but not quite as well as their colleagues. Tony had five hits, and a sixth that missed entirely.

"What can I say, guess I better make sure they don't take out my good arm." He joked. Gibbs glared at him, then thwacked Tony in the back of the head. Deeks saw Kensi's eyes light up.

"Don't even think about it, princess." He told her. "Don't you think punching me is enough?" He asked. But as they passed each other, she reached over and swatted the back of his head.

"I like it." She grinned. Callen rolled his eyes and Deeks whimpered.

Kensi, Nell and Ziva stepped up to go next. With Hetty's signal they did as the men had done, and placed their dominant hand behind their back, and picked up and shot with their other hand.

No one was surprised to see Ziva get a perfect score. With Kensi not far behind. What no one was prepare for though, was that Nell had not only done well - she out shot Kensi, Callen and Sam.

"Looks like Velma has been holding out on us!" Deeks teased. Nell just shrugged.

"What can I say? I'm ambidextrous."


End file.
